IntroVash, Milly and Meryl are back, but they are stuck on a runaway train with no hope of survival. At least that's what we were led to believe from the last disc. Well, don't fear this disc wraps up that story nice and neat and continues in a new story line with an all-new character... known as Vash Version 2.0. But I'll get into that after the technical review.

Technical ReviewMost of the technical quality is just as good as the last disc. The sound is top notch and worked great on my speakers, especially during the final episode of the disc. The picture still has lots of rainbows in it. I was really noticing them this time. It's a bit annoying but I can look around them, but they seemed more obvious to me this time around. The menu is top quality. The transitions from one menu to the next are just plain cool as well as the great choice of music. Looks like Pioneer picked the right crew to do the menus for this series. The presentation gets a bit of a higher rating now. Why? Because now you get Region coding information. Still no listing of the extras but all in all the foil card makes up for that. There is some great artwork on this cover. The goodies consist of a gallery of stills and conceptual drawings of the weapons used in the series. You get a good look at Vash's Pistol and even a look at our new character's arsenal. All in all, with the exception of the rainbows, Trigun's quality has stayed consistent.

Content ReviewAs with its technical scores, the artistic scores to Trigun, mostly stay the same, but there is a slight down shift in the plot department. This is mostly due to the fact that Trigun still doesn't seem to have any direction or even an interesting thrust to it. I'm still feeling the same way I felt about the show when I started it. It's definitely entertaining, but it's lacking that extra something that makes a good show a great show.

The first episode concludes the cliff hanger episode in the previous disc. Vash reveals more about his personality and hints at the reason for his obsession with LOVE AND PEACE!!! The episode kinda feels a bit rushed at the end, and I'm not certain if that was intentional or if it was done because the writers had a tough time figuring out how to end it. The duel at the end seems to be foreshadowing of another duel to come later in the series... perhaps having to do with Vash's mysterious past.

The next episode introduces a new character, Wolfwood. This wandering priest seems to be a nice happy reflection of Vash with a slightly smaller rating on the goofy meter. The two men seem to have similar ideals and virtues, but for different reasons. Robots terrorize a group of travelers and it's up to our heroes to save them. This episode also reveals the fact that Milly is comfortable ;-)

The final episode pits Vash against a collection of sharp shooters in a quick-draw contest. Of course it's all in the name of LOVE AND PEACE!!! So you know it's going to turn out funny. Wolfwood is involved in that little escapade as well. This episode reveals new uses for crucifixes.

The animation in this show has stayed very good. It still ranges from OAV quality to TV show quality, but the production design is what really makes this show. The great look everything has, from the costumes down to the guns, it's all uniquely Trigun. The weapon concept sketches really brought my attention to some of truly unusual weapon designs in the show. But you also get a good look at the "lost" technology in the second episode. That was also well thought out and brought to life on the screen. The character design remains different (lots of weird heads in this show still) and fun. All in all the animation has got a great blend of the familiar with the unusual to give a memorable look to Trigun.

The sound work remains consistent as well. It all works great with the music and the animation to make the show that much better. I'm again very surprised at the unique sound to each gun in the show. This is especially obvious in the quick-draw contest in the last episode.

Trigun remains constant in the plot department as well. As I said above, this is an entertaining show, no doubt about it, but it's lacking something. I'll be happy to get the next disc but I'm not anticipating it. Part of the thing that gets me is that it can't decide whether it wants to be an action, or a comedy. It seems to have trouble finding a good mix, mostly because the serious parts are often interrupted by completely wacky super-deformed moments. This can work in moderation, but it happens so regularly, that you just wait for it to happen again. I like action comedies (Gunsmith Cats balances it out just right, better in the manga), but Trigun isn't working that way for me. But it still remains a fun show even if its balance seems a bit off.

The English voice cast is still holding its own. Everyone seems to be having a great time (especially Vash). This cast really makes the show work well, and even handles the overly wacky moments well. In fact I was a bit afraid that maybe the cast was just having trouble with the nature of the show. But watching the first episode on this disc in Japanese made me think otherwise. It's not the fault of either cast, it's just something that's happening in the show. There are still some uneven performances from the secondary cast but all in all it works great.

The music remains very good. It's well used in every scene and runs the gamut from blues guitar to elevator jazz. I wasn't too crazy about the English version of the song Vash's dream girl sings. The Japanese version works better overall, but the score is awesome.

So with all that said, you basically know what you're getting; more of the same. And if you liked the first two discs than this one will also work for you. Personally I think this show needs some vitamins or something to add just a little pizzazz to it in the plot department. Maybe the next disc will start to add some of that extra, special something.